a Q&A Writing the “Almost Nothing” of Life A Conversation with Noémi Lefebvre by Sarah Moore 22 WLT AUTUMN 2021 PHOTO CATHERINE HÉLIE © EDITIONS GALLIMARD Sarah Moore: Your most recent work to be translated into English, Poètique de l’emploi, considers the question of employment. The English translation of emploi, which variously means “employment,” “use,” and “labor,” into “work” already shows the tension that you explore between how we earn a living and how we spend our time. How do you feel these different aspects relate to each other? Why were you interested in the subject? Noémi Lefebvre: First, it’s a subject that affects me. I don’t understand the link between work and salary or why, when I work, I’m not earning much of a living. For example, when I write, I don’t earn much money, but that’s my real job. There isn’t a clear connection between the money we earn and the work we do. Also, work is a social condition that we’re all supposed to accept but one that often significantly restricts freedom. That’s what I wanted to consider. When a baby is born we don’t think, “Oh, super, it’s going to have a wonderful job,” unless, of course, you’re very narrowminded . We think first about life and freedom, not in terms of paid work. I wanted to explore what remained childlike in me and what retains the desire to always be free in life, while work is often restrictive or creates living conditions that are just impossible— not for everyone but, still, often. Moore: There is also a tension within the narrator for whom the search for employment is agonizing but to whom the idea of having a job is equally agonizing. Lefebvre: Yes, it’s a tension I saw in my children, for example, or even in myself. I tried to write what isn’t often spoken about: that we can easily worry about doing something and about not doing it. The worry doesn’t come from the same place. There is a social anxiety and a personal anxiety that mix together. I wanted to reveal that in fiction because, when work is done in the social sciences on the question of employment, it doesn’t try to look at personal experiences—only fiction can bring that. The social sciences look at other aspects of employment that fiction can’t explain. But in Poètique de l’emploi, I am trying to make the mechanism clear: how we can also be against our own sense of being. Moore: The backdrop to Poètique de l’emploi is Lyon, with civil unrest, extensive military presence, and shouts of “fascist!” being yelled on the streets. Did the political context of France at the time influence your writing? Lefebvre: Yes, I had started writing on the question of work before 2016, but the text was turning in circles. Then, by the start WORLDLIT.ORG 23 N oémi Lefebvre is a multitalented writer. She studied music, received a PhD in music education and national identity in France and Germany, and has worked as a researcher in political science. Writing is not her full-time job and, as she says in her own words, “I’m not a writer; I write.” Lefebvre makes the case for the joy of writing, as one might take pleasure in a hobby that one is passionate about. Having already written five critically acclaimed novels, Lefebvre’s hobby reveals not only her protean talent but her originality. The power of her writing comes from a willingness to wrestle with major questions with an intelligent, curious, and open mind. Even as she tackles serious subjects, her dexterity and humor create a joyous sensation as we follow the twists and turns of her ideas. It is rare that a writer can combine the playful and profound with such skill. When we spoke in May 2021, Poètique de l’emploi had just been published in English, and Parle (2021) had been released in France. In Poètique de l’emploi, an anonymous narrator wanders the streets of Lyon after a state of emergency...
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Oct 9, 2024
Pelle Valentin Olsen + 1
Open Access